Hinduism
'Hinduism '''is the world's oldest and the third largest religion. No one is certain how old Hinduism is, but its adherents believe that it has existed since people were first created. There are about 1 billion Hindus in the world. Most of them live in India, although there are Hindus in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Burma, Indonesia and Africa. Most of the Hindus outside of India are ethnic Indians whose families have traveled to other lands. Beliefs Like Christianity, Hinduism in theory is a complicated form of monotheism. Hindus believe in a single universal spirit called ''Brahman. This spirit exists in three persons: Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer. However, the Hindu religion as practiced is actually not monotheistic at all. Very many gods and goddesses are worshipped, often in more than one form of a particular god or goddess. Local groups of Hindus often worship just one form of one god or goddess, although they may believe in to one degree or another in all the other gods and goddesses of the Hindu faith. Taken as a whole, Hinduism is polytheistic ''(worshipping multiple gods or goddesses) with an intellectual overlay of monotheism. The Hindu religion has a strong set of beliefs that are shared by all followers of the religion. Hindus believe that when any living thing dies, it is almost always instantly reborn on Earth. This is called ''reincarnation. The soul of a person who dies today becomes the soul of a person who is being born today--or the soul of an animal in some instances. The law of karma ''decides what happens to a soul in reincarnation. As each person or other living thing goes through one particular life, he, she, or it can perform good acts or evil acts. The sum or the holiness or evil in ones soul is its karma. If the karma is good, then the soul will be reborn as a higher being than in the life just past. If the karma is bad, then the soul will be reborn as a lower being. For much of the long history of Hinduism, the determination of what was a higher or lower being was based on the class system that was built into the religion. This system is not as important as it once was, but it is still an integral component in many Hindus' lives. To begin with, there were four classes formed when Brahma created humans: Brahmins, preists; kings and warriors; merchants and farmers; and laborers and servants. A fifth class appeared when Hindu warriros began to conquer the people around them. These people were not created by Brahma and are considered outcasts. The name for these people in English are ''untouchables, which Mahatama Gandhi called "children of God". The members of this class were so low that other members of the higher classes would be defiled if they came into contact with them. This attitude was outlawed in modern India, but some of it is still found in certain areas. Most Hindus have little missionary feeling. This is because they believe that in order to become a proper Hindu, you must be born one. A person with another religion who is interested in becoming a Hindu may be told to live a virtuous life in hopes of being reincarnated as a Hindu. If a person builds up a lot of bad karma, they may be reincarnated as an animal or insect. Because of this possibility, many Hindus are reluctant to kill another living thing. Many of them are vegetarians. If a Hindu builds up enough good karma over several lives, they can escape the endless cycle of reincarnation and return to Brahman, becoming a part of Him. This is the main goal for all Hindus. Practices The Hindu faith contains many spiritual practices which Hindus believe will help them escape the cycle of reincarnation and join Brahman. Prayer, worship, meditation and yoga are all considered valuable tools for liberation. Some practices are more emphasized than others, depending on denomination. Worship ceremonies are called "pujas" which the average Hindu performs at home daily. Pujas usually involve bathing images of a deity or deities with milk or water, dressing them and offering them things like foods, flowers, water, tumeric, ghee lamps and incense. More elaborate rituals are conducted by preists at temples. Meditation is also highly valued by Hindus. Usually, they will chant a sacred mantra whilst meditating. Yoga is also an intergral part of Hindu spiritual practice. Yoga literally means "union". There are many schools of yoga practiced depending on one's sect they follow. Category:Religion Category:Hinduism